Entertainment Today: Showbiz News

PUBLISHERS SUE ROSIE FOR $100 M

Stating their magazine and editorial staff were caught in the "maelstrom" of Rosie O'Donnell's abrupt transition from the "queen of nice" to "difficult diva," publishing giant Gruner + Jahr is suing the former talk show hostess for $100 million.

G+J, the publishers who co-owned "Rosie" with O'Donnell, says it filed the lawsuit because O'Donnell violated her contract and damaged the magazine when she pulled out of their business partnership last month.

O'Donnell's spokeswoman, Cindi Berger, has said the comedienne plans to aggressively fight the suit, as well as counter-sue G+J, explaining, "Her name and integrity is at stake."

O'Donnell told reporters at a news conference last month she was leaving the magazine, formerly known as McCall's, because G+J was trying to wrest editorial control from her.

"Gruner + Jahr USA is caught in the maelstrom of Rosie O'Donnell apparently abandoning her past," chief marketing officer Cindy Spengler wrote in a recent memo. "She has walked away from her television show, her brand, her public personality, her civility -- and now her fans, the advertising community, her business partner and her contractual responsibilities."

The publishers have said the last issue of the magazine will appear on newsstands this December.

PRESLEY STILL THE KING OF ROCK N ROLL

Twenty-five years after his death, Elvis Presley is still topping the charts.

A collection of the King's No. 1 hits debuted at No. 1 on the record-sales charts last week. For the week ending Sept. 29, "Elvis: 30 Number One Hits" sold 500,318 units, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

This marks the first time a Presley album has debuted at No. 1 one in the United States.

The album features such favorites as "Don't Be Cruel," "Jailhouse Rock," and "Return to Sender," as well as a re-mix of the song, "A Little Less Conversation."

BOWIE ANNOUNCES NYC TOUR

Veteran rocker David Bowie says he is planning concert dates in each of New York's five boroughs as a thank you to fans who have ventured to far-flung places over the years to see him perform.

"I would like to repay the fans that traveled so far to see me by bringing my show to them," the British singer said in a statement. "But most importantly, I could get home from all the gigs on roller skates." Bowie now makes the Big Apple his home.

The mini-tour kicks off Oct. 11 at Staten Island's Music Hall and will continue at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn Oct. 12, the Colden Center at Queens College on Oct. 16 and Jimmy's Bronx Cafe on Oct. 17. Bowie's last date will be at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan Oct. 20.

Tickets for the shows go on sale Friday.

'ERASER' COMES TO SMALL SCREEN

Just as Hollywood seems to be clamoring to get as many TV shows onto the big screen, the USA Network has announced plans to bring Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1996 action flick, "Eraser," to the small screen.

The Hollywood Reporter says a loose adaptation of "Eraser" most likely will resurface as a drama pilot for Oscar-winning producers Arnold and Anne Kopelson and Warner Brothers Television.

Arnold Kopelson tells THR the TV version will be based on "some aspects of the federal witness protection program," as explored in the feature, but will not be strictly modeled after the characters in the movie.

Kopelson Telemedia also is developing a TV pilot for the 1998 feature "U.S. Marshals."